The Contenders

02 May 2012

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break

Well,
I’m finally getting around to a book for Stainless Steel
Droppings’Once Upon a Time IV
Challenge! I actually
finished this a few weeks ago but with my computer temporarily dead and no way to
make regular posts in absentia compotator, I was a little delayed in finally
getting this out. For those not aware,
the rules for the Once Upon a Time IV challenge are as non-existent as the
previous Sci Fi Experience. The difference
being that this challenge calls on readers to explore Fantasy, Fairy Tales,
Folklore and Mythology. The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Breakis kind of a
weird one so I’m going to assume it counts somewhere between mythology and
fantasy. Double credit? Eh? Well, maybe not, but let’s get to it.

Stats

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill

Audio
book read by Holter Graham

9h
4m

Got
it from: ‘Neil Gaiman Presents’ series on Audible

The
Minotaur, “M,” lives in a trailer park in the South working at a BBQ shack
called Grub’s Rib as a line cook.
Oh? What’s that? You thought this would be about the same Minotaur
trapped in the labyrinth devouring virgins?
Well it is, but now it’s the 1990’s and he’s moved on. And he has a crush on one of the waitresses…

I
know you probably already want to read it so I won’t give out as many details
as I normally do.

Beautiful, quiet
desperation

Though
my brief description may not seem a likely candidate for beautiful description
and prose but I can safely say that TMTCB
contains some of the most astoundingly beautiful, poetic narrative I have read
for years. Years.

To
be sure, and as you might expect when The Minotaur is involved, some pretty
terrible things happen and pretty frequently.
Sherrill’s descriptions of people and places, even the most downtrodden
and derelict create such a beautiful melancholy setting that there isn’t a
moment that isn’t absolutely riveting. I know that is a word for boring critics and
commercials, but this was honestly one of those books that just totally
consumed me, every moment of the day.

The Minotaur's “human”
condition

While
The Minotaur may have once been a fearsome sight, he is now quite a dejected
and solitary figure. He desperately pines
for the most basic of human connections with others but if it isn’t his
appearance that scares people away, it is his inability to respond appropriately
in social situations that drives a wall between The Minotaur and his co-workers
and neighbors. After years of struggling
to feel a part of something, to feel human, The Minotaur is not only nervous to
the point of paralysis, but when he does manage to insert himself into a social
situation, he is invariably disappointed with his awkwardness.

His
detachment is so complete that even the narration refers to him most of the
time as “The Minotaur.” He is removed
from society, he is removed from responsibility for his actions, and he shrinks
away from human contact though there is nothing else he desires more. He is simply The Minotaur, more object than
actor. And though he is so far from
human, it is precisely that disconnect that makes him so human. We all know what it’s like to be the outsider
and The Minotaur’s incongruous human/bull figure makes him so grotesque it’s somehow
impossible not to identify with his pain.

Recommendation

Read
it. You have to. I can’t think of a book with better more
thorough and as I’ve said, beautiful descriptions of some pretty depressing
shit. There is no one you will root for
and be disappointed than M. There is
also no one you will identify with more.
Well maybe you were popular and in that case come for the amazing story. It will not disappoint. I mean how often do I have nothing to gripe
about? Shouldn’t that be a pretty strong
indication?

Also,
if you get a chance, check out the audiobook on this one. Holter Graham is probably an actual minotaur
in real life. How else could he pull
this off so well?!

I found your site based on this review, and very much appreciate it. When I finished the book, I sort-of dismissed it as not really leading me to a particularly traditional ending point. But this book has lingered in my mind ever since - slyly - and I continue to think about the aspects of human connection portrayed by the book. It makes me both sad and hopeful. Your review really captured the gist of the book and its sneaky beauty. (And yes, the audio book reader was amazing.)

Thanks! Glad you agree - about the book and the reader. This one really got under my skin too. I find myself always wanting to recommend it to people, but hesitating probably for the same reason you dismissed it at first.